How-To Geek

Most people who step outside of Windows and macOS assume Linux is the only alternative worth taking seriously. That's understandable, since Linux has a loyal community and many different distros. The operating systems covered here each exist because they solve something Linux can't. They also do it on hardware you already own without handing data to Microsoft or Apple.

Flashforge has been a stalwart in the 3D printer industry for many years now, but the Creator 5 Pro is the 3D printer to put them back on the map. With a heated (and HEPA13 filtered) chamber and four independent direct-drive print heads, the Flashforge Creator 5 Pro will be what ushers in a new era of 3D printing, and I'm here for it.

Luxury SUVs have never been more impressive, but they've also never been more expensive. Premium brands continue to command hefty price tags, even as many of the features that once defined the segment have become increasingly common elsewhere.

Most people have played around with the smart automation features on our phones. Between Samsung's routines, Google Assistant, and Gemini, it feels like there are plenty of ways to automate a job. However, I've always found that they're disappointingly surface-level, especially when you compare them to the Shortcuts app for iPhones, which is stellar.

Since jailbreaking my Kindle, I’ve had a lot of fun exploring what I can do with it. At the heart of everything is KOReader, the document viewer app that you can use instead of the stock Kindle reading software. There's a lot to discover in KOReader, including some very useful plugins.

As new car prices continue to climb, buyers are increasingly finding that stepping into the used luxury market can offer far more value than buying a brand-new mainstream model. While the Toyota Camry remains one of the safest choices for comfort, efficiency, and reliability, there are alternatives that deliver the same low-stress ownership experience with a much more premium feel.

Most people who care about email privacy end up thinking about how to hide themselves. There are plenty of ways to do it with Gmail, but none are actually as safe as you think. Gmail doesn't give you a good way to keep your identity private, even if you try using multiple emails. The best way is just to move on and use the services built for privacy and aliases.

A close friend recently remarked that nobody wants a Raspberry Pi anymore. This is someone who has built up an extensive homelab setup and who frequently takes on projects powered by single-board computers.

Netflix has produced hundreds of original movies over the years, but only a handful have pushed filmmaking and storytelling in a new direction. Whether through animation techniques or unconventional storytelling, these movies stand out for their unique ambitions.

Self-hosting has become easier than ever. Docker Compose, one-click installers, and container-focused operating systems make it possible to deploy dozens of applications in minutes. For many people, that is enough. However, some self-hosted applications benefit from capabilities that containers cannot provide on their own. Features such as snapshots, GPU passthrough, advanced networking, PCI device assignment, kernel customization, and filesystem flexibility often make a virtual machine the better choice. This is where Proxmox stands out.

When you buy a used vehicle, you inherit the maintenance history, the previous owner's infotainment settings and radio presets, and maybe a coffee stain on the seat. Not counting aftermarket accessories, when we buy a pre-owned vehicle, we get the features that were originally equipped on that vehicle from the factory. Nothing significant about the feature set of that pre-owned vehicle is different, for better or worse.

There have been many, many CPUs released over the decades, but if we were to make a list of the best-performing CPUs of all time, it would consist of little more than a handful of the latest models from AMD and Intel.

I recently built my first desktop PC, but after using it for a few months, that type of computer just isn't for me. There was nothing wrong with it—I just prefer to work from my phone instead.

NISMO has spent four decades building faster versions of Nissan sports cars. The badge first appeared on a road-going Skyline GT-R in 1987, then later found its way onto the 370Z, the Frontier, and today's Z.

When you’re busy gaming, creating a presentation, or compiling your codebase, it’s easy to forget about the kernel that’s at the heart of everything your computer does. You might not even think it gets updated all that often, and you probably don’t pay much attention to it when it does.

Windows' Snipping Tool has come a long way, but it still falls short for anyone who screenshots regularly. Flameshot, a free and open-source alternative, fills in the gaps with surprisingly little fuss.

Rental cars are fine until you actually have to drive one. Android Auto doesn't just make everything feel smooth, and you may not be ready to try a whole new style. Instead of going to pick up the car with nothing ready, you should make a checklist with some hardware choices, software prep, and small configuration decisions that will make the car feel like your own.

Collecting stuff is a fantastic hobby. In my younger days, I would scour flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, Craigslist, and eBay for the stuff I liked. I enjoy collecting entire artist discographies on CD whenever possible. Ditto comic books (mostly omnibus collections) and retro games (NES and SNES, if you're curious). Since I like to dabble with Docker applications, I used Koillection, an open-source utility that helps me keep track of my physical media easily.

FaceTime is a feature that has become almost as well-known as the iPhone itself. Android has simply never had an answer to it—except for the fact that they literally can answer FaceTime calls. This has been possible for five years, and you’re not alone in forgetting about it.

HDDs are reliable, but do they live forever? Nope. In fact, while modern drives are highly reliable, unexpected mechanical failures can still strike early in a drive's life span. And of the ones that fail, half fail within their first year of operation, according to a recent Secure Data Recovery study.